I AM…
A FRONT-END DEVELOPER & UX DESIGNER
I have over six years of experience as a freelance web developer and as a team member of a digital creative agency. My vast understanding of WordPress and practices in web development, combined with my evolving knowledge of design processes, makes me a valuable contributor and thoughtful collaborator on any project. I have experience developing web applications in React.js.
I am a film and art enthusiast who seeks new and exciting ways to convey information. My undying curiosity for knowing how to do things makes me a perpetual problem solver. As a designer, I possess a constant need to explore and test new possibilities.
My Coding knowledge
Coming from a web background, HTML is the foundation to what I do. Having witnessed the birth and widespread adoption of HTML5 makes its properties and applications second nature to me. Maintaining knowledge of older HTML versions has remained necessary when building custom email templates and considering cross-browser compatibility.
I make it a point to keep up with the latest developments in web styles. Most recently, CSS Grid has left an impression on me with its freeing approach to web layouts. When it comes to preprocessing style rules, I am well versed with the SCSS protocol. I ultimately strive for a streamlined system of style rules.
JavaScript is essential to the work I do, primarily as it pertains to designing and building web interactions. An additional application for JavaScript is through my use of front-end libraries. I have grown particularly fond of React.js.
My sole, but broad, use of PHP has been through API and CMS integrations, specifically in my use of WordPress. I have familiarized myself with the majority of its conventions and am capable of developing simple PHP applications.
Used entirely as a tool for incorporating third-party hardware or data, I have become capable of building some systems with Python. More recently, I am working on hacking an arcade claw machine with a Raspberry Pi.
When it comes to design...
Listening is the most underrated design skill. To observe user behavior and interpret feedback is the a valuable practice in creating user experiences. I believe in rapid prototyping, testing, and iterative design. Concepts, at their core, are rough and clumsy. Testing and modifying according to results will polish and perfect them.
PROCESS
User personas are an invaluable way to acknowledge who will be using a system. The things that matter to users should be the things that matter when developing a system for them. Developing use cases for human-computer interactions is the best way I have found to define the scope of a system. Hand sketched and clickable prototypes simplify the iterative process and allow me to solve more problems quicker. XD is my preferred prototyping software as it upholds the values and intuitiveness associated with other Adobe products. Given the regularity of which I refer to 52 Weeks of UX and Don’t Make Me Think, I have come to view these resources as sacred texts. They explain the basic principles of designing interfaces while prioritizing the humans that use them.
ACCESSIBILITY
I possess up-to-date knowledge of the Section 508 Standards of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act as well as the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. I build web applications and advise clients with respect to these authorities.
DELIGHT
In the case of well-considered user experiences, I like to explore ways in which a system can be more playful or delightful thus improving is relatability. It is possible to entice users through interaction details like animation or anthropomorphization.